Our Grandparents ( Mother’s Side)
Charles Williams & Bridget Rock
Bridget Williams (nee Rock): Born 1879? Died 21st Feb. 1957
Charles Williams: Died 1910 ( Gravestone Crumlin cemetery)
around 30 y.o.
They were married
around 1898 in St. Joseph’s Church,
Terenure.
My cousin, Anne Wagner ( Nee Williams) daughter of Willie
Williams, supplied the following details:- Charles and Bridget
lived at
Rafters Lane, Crumlin, Dublin in a thatched white
washed cottage owned by the Bird Flanagan, a local landlord. All
of their children were born there.
Daughters- Mary (my mother also called Connie ), Bridie.
Sons- Charlie, Patrick, Louis, Francis, Willie, Joe.
Anne Wagner (nee Williams) adds that her father, Willie, and his
brothers Francis and Charlie, played Gaelic football and did so in
Croke Park ( the national stadium for this sport ) in either 1927 or
1932. Her father was also a member of the I.R.A. under Michael
Collins and she possessed a photo of her father and Collins
together in military uniform.
Bridget Rock was widowed and then married John Kinsella who
was employed by the Bird Flanagan. They moved into 17, Rafters
Road, a new road with newly built granite cottages which are
much valued today. They were allowed to keep possession of the
original thatched cottage that Charles and Bridget had lived in
due to John Kinsella’s connection with the Bird Flanagan.
The children of this second marriage were:Daughters- Sadie, Babby.
Sons-Jimmy, John (Sonny), Oliver.
The Williams Name: Generally it is of British origin and is very
common in Wales. My mother told me that her father, Charles
was of Welsh descent.
The Rock Name: It has two sources, one is Gaelic from the word
for a rock- Carraig. The other source is England based. Anne
Wagner says that her father always claimed that this name
(Rock)
was
a
corruption
of
Roche, at least in this case?
Charles Williams’ mother was Elizabeth O’Connor. The following
information comes from Joe Williams, brother of our mother.
Elizabeth O’Connor’s death notice states:
July 30th 1916. At her residence 7, Rutland Avenue, Dolphins Barn, Mrs. Elizabeth
Williams last and only surviving daughter of the late Thomas O’Connor Esq.
Bayview, Spa and Bank House, Tralee, Co. Kerry and grandniece of the Liberator.
American and Australian papers please copy.
Her two unmarried children, Lily and Patrick Williams continued
to live at that address.
Joe gave me some untitled photos (shown later) and two letters
written in 1941 and 1943 from New York, addressed to Lily
Williams from a cousin Eddie ( presumably O’Connor). In the
1941 letter, a Lieutenant Colonel ( U.S.A. army ) James A.
O’Connor is mentioned.
In the 1943 letter the same writer mentions: his/her father’s unmarried sister Miss Henrietta Finke and
that she is “stingy being on the German side”.
 Her mother’s name was Anna O’Donohue
 That cousin James ( presumably the same as above) never
writes.